Sliding door construction



July '18, 1961 H. T. HENTGES ,4

SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 26, 1959 INVENTOR. MAZGULO 7.",4 E/I/7'GES 2,992,460 SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION Harold T. Hentges, Los Angeles, Calif. (Rte. 4, Anoka, Minn.

Filed Mar. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 802,161 4 Claims. (Cl. 20-19) This invention relates to slidable closures for bookcases, cupboards, wardrobes, and similar structures having top and bottom members connected by end members, and wherein two closures are adapted to assume closed positions in side by side relationship with their forward faces substantially flush with the forward edges of the top and bottom members and the end members to present a neat and attractive appearance. On opening either closure it is movable from adjacent one end member toward the other, and in so moving it is guided rearwardly and behind the other closure which remains in closed position.

Heretofore, structures of this general character have been designed as for example the structure disclosed in Norwegian Patent No. 88,908, issued January 19, 1957. As disclosed therein, the top and bottom members each have first and second grooves equipped with offset ends constituting first and second tracks for dowels or bosses on the tops and bottoms of the closures which guide the closures in their respective movements. These grooves or tracks on both the top and the bottom members overlap or intersect each other and in order to prevent the dowels or bosses from leaving their intended tracks or grooves and following non-intended tracks, the grooves, and consequently the drovvels or bosses are made of unequal widths and depths. This requires that the grooving or tracking on the top member be a counterpart of the grooving or tracking on the bottom member so that these members cannot be exact duplicates of each other.

Another objection to the construction as disclosed in the said patent is that there are no limits to the movements of either closure behind the other and consequently the advance or leading edge of an open closure can engage or interfere with the back of the closed closure.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved structure of this general character wherein the grooves or tracks on the top and bottom members do not intersect each other and consequently the grooves can be formed of equal widths and depths, thus avoiding the use of two different sizes of routers if these are employed to form the grooves in the top and bottom members.

Another advantage derivable from the present invention is that the grooving on the top and bottom members may be an exact duplicate as distinguished from a mere counterpart, thus facilitating construction.

Still a further advantage is derivable from the fact that as the grooves or tracks do not intersect each other, the end of one groove on the top and the end ofits corresponding gnoove on the bottom may be used as stops to limit the sliding movement of a closure, thus avoiding interference of its advancing edge with the back of the closed closure.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims,

reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet which may constitute a bookcase, cupboard, or similar structure embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 2-2 upon FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially upon .the line 3-3 upon FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the top and bottom members and the closures of the cabinet embodying the present invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the cabinet as illustrated, consists of a top member 10, a bottom member 11, and end members 12 and 13 which connect the top and bottom members at the ends thereof. Preferably, but not necessarily, there is a center post 14 which also connects the top and bottom members centrally of the forward edges thereof. This center post, when employed, has reanvardly beveled or rearwardly convergent side edges 15 and 16 com plementary to the beveled inner edges 17 and 18 of the two closures 19 and 20.

In accordance with the present invention the bottom member 11 has a first groove or track 21 termed therein which extends from adjacent the end member 13 toward the end member 12 preferably a distance more than half of the distance between the end members. This first groove formed in the bottom member has offset ends indicated at 22 and 23, the end 23 terminating in a portion 24 that is parallel to the forward edge of the bottom member 11. A second groove or track is also formed on the bottom member 11 indicated at 25 and this groove is located adjacent the end member 12. It has but a single offset end indicated at 26 terminating in a parallel portion 27 that is parallel to the forward edge of the bottom member. The inner end of this second groove indicated at 28 terminates short of and does not intersect the first groove 21. Consequently, both grooves 21 and 25 can be made of the same width and cut by the same router.

The top 10 may be an exact duplicate of the bottom member 11 but turned upside down and end for 'end. Therein, there is formed a first groove 29 having offset ends 30 and 3 1 the end 31 terminating in a parallel portion 32 that is parallel to the forward edge of the top 10 and is disposed adjacent the end member 12. The second groove or track 33 has a single ofiset end 34 adjacent the end member 13 and terminates in a parallel portion 35. The inner end of this second groove on the top member indicated at 36, terminates short of and does not intersect with the offset end 30 of the first groove 29. At the top of the closure 19 near its outer end there is an upstanding dowel or boss 37 that is slidable in the first groove 29 on the top member. This closure also has two bottom dowels or bosses 38 and 39, the bottom dowel 38 being slidable in the second groove 25 formed in the bottom member 11. The dowel 39 is slidable in the first groove 21 formed in the bottom member. The other closure 20 is conversely equipped with dowels that is, near its outer end it has a lower dowel 40 that is movable in the first groove 21 of the bottom member. At its top it is equipped with a dowel 41 near its outer end that is slidable in the second groove 33 of the top member and near its inner end it is equipped with a dowel 42 that is slidable in the first groove 29 on the top member 10.

It will be appreciated from the above-described construction that the two closures 19 and 20 may assume positions wherein both are fully closed and wherein their outer edges are abutting the inner faces of the end members 12 and 13, respectively. In this position the forward faces of the closures are preferably flush with the forward face of the center post 14 and with the forward edges of the top, bottom and end members. When it is desired to open closure 19 it is merely pushed from left to right as disclosed in the drawing and during this movement, dowel 37 follows the track 29, dowel 38 follows the track or groove 25 and dowel 39 follows track 21. This causes the inner end of the closure to swing rearwardly behind the post 14 and then to move laterally behind the closure 20 in a direction parallel to closure 20. Ultimately dowel 38 engages the end 28 of the second groove 25 formed in the bottom member 11, terminating the sliding movement of the closure 19 before dowel 39 starts following the offset end 23 which would cause interference between the advance or leading edge of closure 19 and the back of the closed closure 20. To close the opened closure 19, it is merely caused to slide in the reverse direction. In a similar manner, whenever it is desired to open the closure 20 it is moved from right to left as viewed in the drawing and during this movement dowel 42 follows the first groove or track 29 formed in the top member 10. Dowel 41 follows the second groove 33 in the top member and dowel 40 follows groove 21 which is the first groove in the bottom member 11. The movements of closure are counterparts of the movements of the closure 19. The movement towards open position is ultimately limited by the engagement of dowel 41 with the end 36 of groove 33.

To assemble the structure as above described, it is usually possible to tip a closure 19 or 20 into the cabinet structure with two of its dowels in applied position in their respective grooves. The third dowel, such as for example dowel 40 on closure 20, see FIG. 3, can then be applied by drilling a small hole 43 in the bottom memher and either gluing or press-fitting the dowel 40 in position. In a similar manner, dowel 37 on closure 19 can be supplied by drilling a corresponding hole in the top member 10 and inserting the dowel therethrough. After the dowels 37 and 40 have been applied their respective holes can be plugged if desired.

It will be appreciated from the above-described construction that numerous advantages are derivable therefrom. All four grooves or tracks may be of the same width and depth. Furthermore, the top and bottom members can be exact duplicates and not mere counterparts. The fact that the second grooves and 33 terminate short of and do not intersect the first grooves enables the ends of these grooves to be utilized as stops to prevent interference of an open closure with a closed closure at the extreme end of its opening movement.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sliding door closure comprising top and bottom members connected by end members, closures each of which are slidable between the top and bottom members from adjacent one end member toward the other, there being a track on the bottom member extending from adjacent one end member toward the other end member beyond the point midway between the end members, a second track extending from adjacent said other end member toward the first end member and terminating short of the first track without intersecting it, the top member having corresponding traclks reversely arranged, said closures each having means by which their movements are guided adjacent the outer ends thereof engageable with the tracks in the top and bottom members and additional means adjacent their inner ends engageable with the longer of the tracks only in the top and bottom members, said tracks being arranged to guide one closure behind the other in moving the closure from adjacent its end member toward the opposite end member.

2. A sliding door closure comprising top and bottom members connected by end members, a closure adjacent each end member movable behind the other closure toward the other end member, a first track on the bottom member extending from adjacent one end member toward the other and having offset ends, a second track on the bottom member extending from said other end member toward the first end member but terminating short of and without intersecting the first track and having only an outer end offset, a first track on the top member arranged over the second track on the bottom member and having offset ends, a second track on the top member arranged over the first track on the bottom member, said second track on the top member terminating short of and without intersecting the first track on the top member and having only its outer end offset, means on one of the closures engageable with the first and second tracks on the top member and the first track on the bottom member so as to be guided thereby, and means on the other closure engageable with the first and second tracks on the bottom member and the first track on the top member so as to be guided thereby.

3. A sliding door closure comprising top and bottom members connected by end members, a closure adjacent each end member movable behind the other closure toward the other end member, a center post connecting the top and bottom members, a first track on the bottom member extending from adjacent one end member toward the other beyond the center post and having offset ends, a second track on the bottom member extending from said other end member toward the first end member but terminating short of said first track and cen-.

ter post without intersecting the first track and having only its outer end offset, a first track on the top member arranged over the second track on the bottom member having offset ends, the inner of which terminates beyond the center post, a second track on the top member arranged over the first track on the bottom memher, said second track on the top member terminating short of the first track and center post without intersecting the first track on the top member and having only its outer end offset, means on one of the closures engageable With the first and second tracks on the top member and the first track on the bottom member so as to be guided thereby, and means on the other closure engageable with the first and second tracks on the bottom member and the first track on the top member so as to be guided thereby.

4. A sliding door closure comprising top and bottom members connected by end members, closures, each of which are slidable between the top and bottom members from adjacent one end member toward the other, there being a track on the bottom member adjacent'its forward edge extending from an outer end adjacent one end member toward the other to an inner end terminating beyond the point midway between the end members, the bottom member having a second track extending from an outer end adjacent said other end member toward the first end member to an inner end terminating short of the inner end of the first track without intersecting it, outer and inner end portions of the first track being located more closely to the forward edge of the bottom member than intermediate portions of the track, the outer end portion only of the second track being located more closely toward the forward edge of the bottom member than the remainder of said second track, the top member having corresponding tracks reversely arranged, spaced followers on one of the closures engageable with the first and second tracks on the top member, another follower on said closure engageable with the first track on the bottom member so as to be guided thereby, spaced followers on the other closure engageable with the first and second tracks on the bottom member, another follower on said other closure engageable with the first track on the top member so as to be guided thereby, and the inner end of the second track on each of the top and bottom members being spaced from the more forwardly located end 10 portion of its respective first track a distance greater than the distance between said spaced followers on each of said closures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 304,222 Morrison Aug. 26, 1884 FOREIGN PATENTS 366,930 Germany Jan. 13, 192.3

88,908 Norway Mar. 18, 1957 

